A wide area network (WAN) is a computer network covering a large geographical area. Typically, a WAN is used to connect local area networks (LANs) together. A WAN can involve a vast array of network devices, network resources, and the like. The most well-known WAN is the Internet.
Organizations often have a separate LAN for every regional office. Each LAN is connected to each other thereby forming the organization's WAN. When a user travels from one office to another, the user can access his/her network resources over the WAN, such as email, calendar and task list. However, the user will not have the same IP address, access to local network resources, firewall settings, etc., because the user is accessing the LAN remotely.
The foregoing examples of the related art and limitations related therewith are intended to be illustrative and not exclusive. Other limitations of the related art will become apparent to those of skill in the art upon a reading of the specification and a study of the drawings.